Workers of furniture company Giardini del Sole yesterday filed a notice of strike before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, alleging that management has failed to comply with an agreement aimed to address the welfare of workers affected by company's temporary shut-down.

Amid recession in the United States, the government is exploring more markets that have demand for skilled Filipino workers, Dennis M. Arroyo, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director for policy and planning, told reporters in a briefing Thursday.

Oil prices tumbled yesterday after the government reported enormous builds of oil and gasoline at US storage facilities, another manifestation of how badly the deteriorating economy has cut into energy demand.

The government should brace not only for an economy likely to be hurt by the global recession but also for the worsened corruption the crunch might bring, a Hong Kong-based anti-corruption consultant warned.

There's more "pork barrel" for lawmakers, less funds for foreign debt service, just as billions of pesos are allocated for government's economic stimulus fund in the 2009 national budget, the summary of the conference committee report on the new appropriations measure showed.

As support for the nationwide protest of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, members of the KMP-Cebu held a protest to air their concerns regarding the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program on the 22nd anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre.

CEBU City's Joint Venture Selection Committee (JVSC) will award the P25-billion joint venture contract to Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) today. The decision came after Acting Mayor Michael Rama denied with finality the Province's appeal to be allowed to bid for a portion of the South Road Properties (SRP). Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda said the Provincial Government will respect Rama's decision, although a legal team will look into it.

AN ARREST warrant has been issued against Mandaue City Councilor Victor Cortes Biaño for alleged falsification of his daughter's birth certificate. Cagayan de Oro Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Judge Romualdo E. Galarrita ordered Biaño's arrest last Jan. 20, based on the complaint filed by Mandaue City Health Office midwife Grace Flores. He recommended P12,000 as bail. Biaño said the charge is politically motivated. He said he already posted bail at the sala of the judge who issued the warrant of arrest.

A senior official today accused politicians across the country of dipping their hands into the multibillion dollar illicit drugs trade, possibly to raise money for next year's elections. "There is narco-politics all over the country," Dionisio Santiago, head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, said while painting a bleak picture of efforts to rid the Southeast Asian nation of illegal drugs. He said "politicians at all levels" were involved as either financiers or protectors of drug traffickers.

Bantay Korte Suprema (BKS, Supreme Court Watch) has released the names of 18 possible replacements for Supreme Court Justice Adolf Azcuna, who is retiring on February 16. Included in the list released by the office of BKS co-founder Senator Francis Pangilinan are Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera and Sandiganbayan anti-graft court Justices Francisco Villacruz and Edliberto Sandoval.

Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile is pushing for the passage of a law to increase the number of legislative districts and, therefore, the membership of the House of Representatives, as well as correct the representation of partylists, to comply with the Constitution.

A blocktime radio broadcaster at here was shot dead by unidentified gunmen around around 9 p.m. Wednesday in what police said Thursday could have been a case of "mistaken identity." Badrodin Abas, 38, of radio dxCM was driving his multi-cab when the gunmen, who were riding on tandem on a motorbike, blocked his way and immediately fired on him.

The local recruitment industry urged the government yesterday to allow the peso to depreciate to a 55 per dollar rate to encourage the eight million Filipino workers abroad to send more money back home and boost the country's economy.

Abundance Providers and Investments Corp. (APIC), controlled by investment banker and Asian Spirit Airlines co-founder Noel Oñate, said it is business as usual for Pacific Plans Inc. even with the change of ownership in the ailing pre-need firm.

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the state pension fund, is targeting to post a net income of P40 billion this year, lower than the P50 billion it targeted for 2008, GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia said yesterday.

After taking the role of an anti-drug czar, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has also named herself the country's climate change czar. She said this was part of the reorganization of the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change, which was previously headed by Heherson Alvarez Jr.

President Barack Obama's plan to award a $500 tax credit to most workers is expected to advance through a key House panel as Democrats prepare his $825 billion economic recovery plan for a floor vote next week.

Caroline Kennedy has ended her quest for the US Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, halting a campaign that began with popular support but withered quickly over criticism about her experience and her reluctance to answer questions about her finances.

The man in-charge of charting the ring career of boxing prospect Bernabe Concepcion won"t accept fighting reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion Steven Luevano if the title bout will be held in Puerto Rico.

Ilonggos on Thursday feasted on the largest-ever bowl of La Paz batchoy in a bid for a world record. Around 1,000 residents and guests flocked to the La Paz District plaza where a giant stainless steel bowl was set up to cook the savory noodle dish. The bowl, measuring two meters in width and one meter in height and custom-made in Cebu City for P180,000, had a capacity of 3,500 liters. The broth alone reached 1,700 liters.

Saying his actions were merely a result of an "emotional outburst," actor Philip Salvador on Thursday apologized for hitting a bus driver during a road altercation along EDSA in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday morning.

The romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" led Academy Awards contenders Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.